2. Showing You the MONEY! Did you know the State of Tennessee will pay you and your employees to expand your operations to Canada or Europe, among other incentives? Join this cocktail discussion to learn more about opportunities available to help grow your business. Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 4pm-6pm.>>Register now

3. House Parties in February!
Each of the four houses will be hosting a House Party in February. This is a great time to get to know your fellow house members in a smaller, more intimate setting. Registration links are below.

EO Members in the News

The Nashville Business Journal announced the finalists of its 2018 Best in Business Awards. The following EO Nashville companies were included:

Petra Coach [Andy Bailey]– 1-25 employees

Concept Technology Inc. [James Fields] – 26-100 employees

Crosslin [Justin Crosslin]– 26-100 employees

Local Search Masters [Brad Hill]– 26-100 employees

MediCopy [Elliott Noble-Holt]– 26-100 employees

ProviderTrust [Chris Redhage]– 26-100 employees

SnapShot Interactive [Mark Scrivner]– 26-100 employees

The winners and finalists of the Nashville Technology Council’s 9th Annual Awards were listed in the Nashville Post. The following EO Nashville companies were included:

Hytch [Robert Hartline]– Emerging Company of the Year winner

Chris Redhage [ProviderTrust]– Emerging Leader of the Year winner

Virsys12 [Tammy Hawes]Development Team – Team of the Year winner

Watershed Systems [Mike Rustici]– CTO of the Year finalist and Infrastructure Group of the Year winner

Trinisys [David Box]– Company of the Year finalist

In the News:

Pensions & Investments quoted Tina Hodges, the CEO and chief experience officer of Advance Financial [Mike Hodges], about the company’s plan to enhance its 401(k) plan in response to the recent tax bill.

Andy Bailey [Petra Coach] was quoted in Moneyish about how to strategically work for free.

Michael Burcham [Narus Health] was quoted in the Nashville Business Journal for his take on Nashville’s aim at landing the second Amazon headquarters.

A board member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center [Michael Brody-Waite] was mentioned in the Nashville Post for being added to the Nashville Public Education Foundation board of directors.

The Nashville Post mentioned DWC Construction Co. [John Arndt]for working on an office space for electronics giant Philips at the Nashville City Center.

Coco’s Italian Market [Charles Cinelli] was included in the Chattanoogan’s Tennessee Tourism Round Up of events to attend.

Edley’s Bar-B-Que [Will Newman]was mentioned in the Jacksonville Daily Record for a planned site demolition to build its first Florida location.

Henrietta Red and The Patterson House [Ben Goldberg and Max Goldberg]were mentioned in a Nashville Post article about a “taproom takeover.” Chef Julia Sullivan from Henrietta Red was featured in a Tennessean Q&A.

Jeff Rice [Healthcare Bluebook] was featured in NewsChannel5’s SCORE on Business segment. The company was also mentioned in a Nashville Business Journal article about the current state of the healthcare industry.

The Tennessean featured the Nashville Soccer Club [Chris Redhage] in an article about the club’s inaugural season.

Austin Ray [M.L. Rose and The Sutler Saloon] was quoted in a Nashville Business Journal article about how Amazon’s second headquarters might affect his business and Nashville as a whole.

TTG Media highlighted Corsair Distillery [Darek Bell]as a must-see on the “Tennessee Whiskey Trail.” The Whiskey Wash listed one of the distillery’s signature whiskies, Ryemageddon, as a “whiskey to warm up winter.” Bell & Associates Construction was mentioned in The Daily Herald for its contracting services on the recently finished Central High School project.

New Member Spotlight - Dave Puncochar, Good Wood Nashville

Good Wood started with a 102-year-old Victorian home in East Nashville. The search for the perfect match for the Old Growth Poplar that was on its floors was what ultimately birthed this company. Good Wood continues to find new ways to fashion and forge wood in a way that allows these salvaged treasures to live on, and the irresistible beauty of reclaimed lumber is what keeps Dave’s team ticking! Whether you are looking for reclaimed floors, barn wood walls, or custom furniture, Good Wood promises to help you find it!

What is a personal piece of advice (business advice/saying/quote) that you lean on and could pass on to others?

Drew Sloss, one of the owners/founders of Climb Nashville told me two things when I started my business in my garage: 1. Keep your day job as long as you can. 2. Cash is King. That is, to hold on to your cash as much as you can (resist spending tons of money on fancy trucks, t-shirts, swag, etc…)

Best business book you’ve ever read?

A classic that I like is actually a sales book by Og Mandino that I was given when I sold books door to door with The Southwestern Company, it was The Greatest Salesman in the World.

One misstep you took in your business that you could caution others about?

I hired friends and family and didn’t take a disciplined approach to contract wording. I was too relaxed and should have taken more time to make it more formal. My shortsightedness really made some tense situations when problems arose, or job descriptions needed to be changed.

How to you de-stress after a particularly hard day?

There is nothing better than cycling with friends or taking the dog for a quick walk around the neighborhood for me to relieve stress after a hard day. Not to mention a good IPA.

What EO event are you most looking forward to attending in the next few months?

The Memphis retreat sounds like it will be a great time, including the BBQ and the Grizzlies!

What’s something about you that would surprise everyone reading this?

I speak Spanish and Italian, and this past fall I was asked to translate an Italian wedding for my cousin in Italy. Let’s just say that it was not quite a “word for word” translation! (It was a noble attempt but my wedding Italian did fall a bit short!)

Care to share a New year’s resolution?

I don’t make resolutions, but I do have a goal to take my kids out west this summer to either the Grand Canyon or Glacier National Park.

Upcoming Events

Ryan Avery - Go from A to THE - Wed., Jan. 31, 7:30a.m.-10a.m.
Ryan will show you how to utilize the power of communication and storytelling to go from A to THE in your industry at W.O. Smith Music School.>>Register Now

EO House Parties
Each of the 4 Houses will be hosting a House Party in February! This is a great time to get to know your fellow house members in a smaller, more intimate setting. Many thanks to our gracious hosts!

Showing You the MONEY! - Feb. 21 at Bradley, 1600 Division Street, Suite 700 from 4pm-6pm. Join EO, Matt Wiltshire, metro's economic and community development director and Lamont Price, the state's director of TNInvestco, for a cocktail discussion about opportunities from the local government available to help grow your business. >>Register now

EO Chapter Retreat in MEMPHIS - Thurs., March 8 - Sat., March 10
Join us for this exciting trip, which will include the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz, a once-in-a-lifetime Overnight Operation special-access tour at the Fed Ex Memphis World Hub, dinner at the famous Rendezvous, a behind the Scenes tour of Graceland and drinks at the Peabody! >> Register now